If you had nothing to guide you but the sight of yesterday’s finishes at Newbury, you might have thought it was October. Soft ground prevails at the Berkshire track and that gives Breton Rock (3.45) an excellent chance of repeating last year’s success in the Hungerford Stakes.
It has not been a productive year for the five-year-old, who finished in midfield when tried in a Group One here in May and could not get into the argument at Haydock soon after that. Both those races were run on good going but Breton Rock really needs some cut to show his best.
He gets it here and will be fresh off the back of a two-month break, just as he was when scoring last year. While he has been edged in the past by Here Comes When, he should not be twice the odds of that rival, who has had a busy summer of forlornly chasing Solow in Group Ones.
1.40 Newmarket There was a lot to like about the debut success of In Ken’s Memory, a Mark Johnston horse who scored despite evident greenness at Nottingham. She has plenty of scope to be better than her initial handicap rating.
2.00 Newbury Though Dessertoflife has a bit of ground to make up on Palawan from their Ascot running, she should be much better on this surface, similar to conditions when she won her maiden at Doncaster. She was a bit unlucky with the way the race developed when she chased home a stablemate in a Listed contest last time. Silvestre de Sousa rides for the first time, words to encourage any punter this season.
2.15 Newmarket Winning has not been easy for Steve Prescott but he has been steadily progressive in some hot contests and seized his chance when given an easier opportunity over this course and distance last time. From a 6lb higher mark he still looks very fairly treated, which cannot be said of many of his rivals in this race restricted to grey horses. The useful claimer Jack Garritty rides for the first time.
2.35 Newbury Romsdal is the obvious one, having plenty of quality form to his name and a proven aptitude for soft ground, notably when third in the King George last time. But he is a short price for a horse without a single turf win to his name and Red Cadeaux makes more appeal at a surprisingly dismissive 12-1. While he has not won in Britain for three years, he has run some fine races in that time, including when a close fourth after traffic trouble in this race last year. He has been consistently good on soft going and, although he was stuffed last time, he must have needed that outing. The danger for Romsdal is that he may set this up for Red Cadeaux’s strong finish and the winner of almost £5m in prize money worldwide could be about to get his head back in front.
2.50 Newmarket A close third here last month behind the horse that went on to win the Stewards’ Cup, Primrose Valley had a luckless run at the Shergar Cup last weekend and may prove here that she is better than that.
3.10 Newbury He has gone up a stone in the weights for his impressive Salisbury success last month but Mujassam should have more to offer. He is bred to cope well with soft and won his maiden here on a similar surface in October.
3.30 Ripon Offers of 20-1 about Pipers Note as I type seem big about a horse with four wins at this track from seven starts. The market is understandably concerned about soft going for a horse with plenty of good form on a fast surface but he has not failed to cope with soft yet and both sides of his pedigree suggest he may cope perfectly well. He has been better than ever this year, with the exception of two well-beaten efforts at York, and is only 4lb higher than for his most recent handicap success here in April. The chestnut was beaten just a length in this contest last year and seems a fair bet for another big effort.
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